Sony calls Whitney Houston price hike a 'mistake,' apologizes

Two of late singer's hits collections had been marked up on UK iTunes

Tuesday, Feb 14, 2012 6:38 PM

Dave Lewis

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Whitney Houston

Credit: AP Photo

Sony Music has responded to allegations that the conglomerate purposely raised the price of Whitney Houston albums after the singer's untimely death last week.

As reported in The Guardian, two of the singer's hits collections saw a sharp increase in price on British iTunes on Saturday, with downloads of “The Ultimate Collection” increasing some 60% from £5 ($7.85) to £8 ($12.50), while “The Greatest Hits” jumped 25%. Naturally, consumers immediately began voicing their concern online.

Whitney Houston - 1963-2012: A Life in Pictures

Sony reversed the price changes Sunday evening, and issued a statement on Tuesday explaining that the cost increases were made in error and that the company hadn't issued any orders to raise the prices.

“Whitney Houston product was mistakenly mispriced on the U.K. iTunes store on Sunday,” responded Sony in a the statement. “When discovered, the mistake was immediately corrected. We apologize for any offense caused.”

Soundscan has yet to release the numbers, but sales (both physical and online) of Houston's catalog, including such hits as "I Will Always Love You and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," have seemingly been though the roof since she passed away on Saturday.

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